Pop Culture Roundup: The Clangers; Keith Richards; Mel Brooks; iPod Classic; James Bond
Monty Python's Michael Palin will narrate "The Clangers," a revival of a beloved 1960s British TV program.
-----
Keith Richards chats about his new children's book. Yeah. Really.
-----
Comedian Mel Brooks wore a fake fingerprint during tribute ceremony in Hollywood this week, leaving 11 fingerprints in the concrete outside the TCL Chinese Theatre.
He also kept his shoes on when leaving his footprints.
The big news from Apple this week? Forget about phones and watches, the beloved iPod Classic is being discontinued.
I still use mine all the time. As a music player it holds a zillion songs (mine is 160GB) and sounds much superior to what you can hear on a phone, especially if you upload tunes in a high-quality or lossless format.
-----
One man's ginormous James Bond collection.
The CBeebies programme will air in the UK next spring.
"The world of the Clangers is delightful and irresistible," Palin said. The original show first aired in 1969 on BBC One.
The clangers communicate with unusual whistles while the narrator comments on the events that take place in their universe.
Palin added: "It's a real pleasure and a great privilege to be a part of its return to television."
-----
Keith Richards chats about his new children's book. Yeah. Really.
My publishers first came up with this idea. They said, "There's certain chapters about your grandfather that could make a great children's book." Children's book? This is not my line (laughs). ... And just about that same time my eldest daughter ... she said, "Guess what?" And I know that look in a woman's eyes. "Don't tell me you're pregnant, which means fifth grandchild." ... I thought, "Hey, there's something to be said for this" and I've always wanted to give my ole grandfather Gus, bless him, a little more memorial than he's had.
-----
Comedian Mel Brooks wore a fake fingerprint during tribute ceremony in Hollywood this week, leaving 11 fingerprints in the concrete outside the TCL Chinese Theatre.
He also kept his shoes on when leaving his footprints.
-----
The big news from Apple this week? Forget about phones and watches, the beloved iPod Classic is being discontinued.
I still use mine all the time. As a music player it holds a zillion songs (mine is 160GB) and sounds much superior to what you can hear on a phone, especially if you upload tunes in a high-quality or lossless format.
One man's ginormous James Bond collection.
Review: The new Doctor Who
Putting a new face on "Doctor Who" is always a risk. And this time out, the show's creators have taken an exceptional gamble.
Not that Peter Capaldi is a bad actor - he's fantastic. Check out "In the Loop."
But his face is much different from that of his immediate predecessors.
Capaldi's older for a start: 56 compared to Matt Smith's 31, and not nearly as cute a cuddly as Smith or David Tennant before him. Plus, he's got gray hair, a scrawny frame and an owlish countenance.
It's a more severe look, to be sure. But the new Doctor has undergone a slight personality shift to match it.
Still goofy and funny much of the time, this Doctor also tends to be more grim and temperamental. There's a fresh edge to him that's mysterious and keeps you on your toes.
In many ways, actually, he reminds me of Tom Baker's Doctor, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Baker could be silly, absent-minded and sometimes bumbling, but also quite stern and serious. He was fun, but his mood could switch on a dime.
Not that we haven't seen a grumpy Doctor before. William Hartnell was short-tempered and irritable right out of the gate. But the Timelord hasn't been this old, or this testy, in quite a while.
I think the change is much-needed and good. The series needed a shift to stay fresh. And I like that Capaldi's Doctor seems to signal a back-to-basics approach.
The most recent episode, "Robot of Sherwood," for example, had a real 1960s/70s "Doctor Who" vibe to it. Filmed on location in England, mostly outdoors, it looked and felt like something from the earthbound Jon Pertwee era.
The plot was straight-forward, too, unlike
the mind-twists of last season, with all its focus on the Doctor's own
confusing mythology.
This was just the old-school setup: The Doctor and his companion materialize someplace and address whatever big problem they find on hand. In this case, a real life Robin Hood fighting alien robots. What more do you need?
There was plenty of witty dialogue and some nice suspense and action scenes to boot.
And it was nice to see current companion Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman, emerge as more of a real person.
Up until now, Clara has never had much of a personality - a problem that stems from her introduction last season as "the impossible girl" - not a real human but a being that incarnated several times throughout history in order to save the Doctor from peril.
This season, though, the focus is on Clara the human and Coleman is given much more to do with part. She's a fine actress with a flare for comedy. "Robot" provided her with some great lines and she was the Doctor's equal - if not more so - in helping to save the day.
A potential love interest for Clara, introduced in the previous episode, "Into the Dalek," also bodes well for the character.
So, yes, changing things up is always a risk, but I think these changes will do "Doctor Who" good.
Not that Peter Capaldi is a bad actor - he's fantastic. Check out "In the Loop."
But his face is much different from that of his immediate predecessors.
It's a more severe look, to be sure. But the new Doctor has undergone a slight personality shift to match it.
Still goofy and funny much of the time, this Doctor also tends to be more grim and temperamental. There's a fresh edge to him that's mysterious and keeps you on your toes.
In many ways, actually, he reminds me of Tom Baker's Doctor, which isn't a bad thing at all.
Baker could be silly, absent-minded and sometimes bumbling, but also quite stern and serious. He was fun, but his mood could switch on a dime.
Not that we haven't seen a grumpy Doctor before. William Hartnell was short-tempered and irritable right out of the gate. But the Timelord hasn't been this old, or this testy, in quite a while.
I think the change is much-needed and good. The series needed a shift to stay fresh. And I like that Capaldi's Doctor seems to signal a back-to-basics approach.
The most recent episode, "Robot of Sherwood," for example, had a real 1960s/70s "Doctor Who" vibe to it. Filmed on location in England, mostly outdoors, it looked and felt like something from the earthbound Jon Pertwee era.
This was just the old-school setup: The Doctor and his companion materialize someplace and address whatever big problem they find on hand. In this case, a real life Robin Hood fighting alien robots. What more do you need?
There was plenty of witty dialogue and some nice suspense and action scenes to boot.
And it was nice to see current companion Clara Oswald, played by Jenna Coleman, emerge as more of a real person.
Up until now, Clara has never had much of a personality - a problem that stems from her introduction last season as "the impossible girl" - not a real human but a being that incarnated several times throughout history in order to save the Doctor from peril.
This season, though, the focus is on Clara the human and Coleman is given much more to do with part. She's a fine actress with a flare for comedy. "Robot" provided her with some great lines and she was the Doctor's equal - if not more so - in helping to save the day.
A potential love interest for Clara, introduced in the previous episode, "Into the Dalek," also bodes well for the character.
So, yes, changing things up is always a risk, but I think these changes will do "Doctor Who" good.
See the new cast of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Just posted by Marvel.
From left to right, B.J. Britt as Agent Antoine Triplett, Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter, Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mac" Mackenzie, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons and Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
From left to right, B.J. Britt as Agent Antoine Triplett, Chloe Bennet as Agent Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Clark Gregg as Director Phil Coulson, Nick Blood as Lance Hunter, Henry Simmons as Alphonso "Mac" Mackenzie, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons and Brett Dalton as Grant Ward
New Creature from the Black Lagoon, Son of Frankenstein action figures from Diamond Select
These have started showing up in toy stores and are available for pre-order on Amazon.
Lego "Jaws" set - show your support!
Lego fans who want to see the company create a 40th anniversary set honoring "Jaws" can show their support at Lego Ideas. If the project receives 10,000 votes, Lego will officially review whether to follow through.
How could you say "no" to this?
How could you say "no" to this?
Preview of DC Comics December variant covers by Darwyn Cooke
I read little DC Comics' current output, but love the art of Darwyn Cooke. Here's a display of some of the variant covers he's producing for DC titles this December.
Cooke has provided the covers for He-Man: The Eternity War #1, Harley Quinn #12, Superman #37, Teen Titans #5, Batman & Robin #37, Catwoman #37, Green Lantern #37, Sinestro #8, Wonder Woman #37, Action Comics #37, Grayson #5, Justice League United #7, Supergirl #37, Aquaman #37, Batgirl #37, Detective Comics #37, Justice League Dark #37, Superman/Wonder Woman #14, Batman #37, Batman/Superman #17, Flash #37, Green Lantern Corps #37, and Justice League #37.
That's a lot of work. Sorta makes me wish DC would just turn Cooke loose on a regular title where he could play freely with the DC Universe.
Cooke has provided the covers for He-Man: The Eternity War #1, Harley Quinn #12, Superman #37, Teen Titans #5, Batman & Robin #37, Catwoman #37, Green Lantern #37, Sinestro #8, Wonder Woman #37, Action Comics #37, Grayson #5, Justice League United #7, Supergirl #37, Aquaman #37, Batgirl #37, Detective Comics #37, Justice League Dark #37, Superman/Wonder Woman #14, Batman #37, Batman/Superman #17, Flash #37, Green Lantern Corps #37, and Justice League #37.
That's a lot of work. Sorta makes me wish DC would just turn Cooke loose on a regular title where he could play freely with the DC Universe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)